Monday, February 15, 2010

Traveling is a great way to relax and is also very therapeutic especially during a hectic and stressful period. Just getting away for a week or so from all the hustle and bustle of daily life can help to give our minds a break and in cases of decision making, we would be able to think better and make better decisions. However, traveling is undeniably a rather costly past time but planning ahead and booking hotels or flights during off-peak seasons can really help save a great deal of money.

Nowadays, it is very common to book airline tickets online as both MAS and AirAsia have adopted the electronic ticket system. There is usually no problem with this area as we would be booking directly through their official website and all the price changes are based solely on demand and seasons. In addition, t he only comparisons that we could make are choosing between MAS, AirAsia or other companies like Singapore Airlines or Brunei Airlines.

As for accommodation, we could choose to book online or offline, by calling up the Hotel. However, as hotels have been sprouting like mushrooms, quality and value are of high importance to consumers. Many of us would like to browse around and even look at some reviews before choosing the hotel.

Recently, I found this Hotels Combined website where I could browse for all hotels worldwide. It is a very useful guide to finding the suitable hotel according to your budget. In addition, I can get a basic idea of hotels that are available in say, Melbourne as I am unfamiliar with that place. Apart from that, there is much comprehensive information on each hotel including reviews, its star rating, distance from town and rates for each type of room available.

Hotels Combined simply acts as a platform to display the rates of various travel agents worldwide. Whenever you click on a hotel you might be interested in, there are many booking sites available for you to choose from, and you can choose the ones that offer the best value for money.

Although many people may choose to book offline, going online is a great way to help consumers to be well informed and be ensured they are not ripped off. In addition, you would be able to read genuine reviews and know what to expect when staying at the hotel you have chosen.